The former Verizon Building downtown is vacant, and the State College Redevelopment Authority Board is trying to figure out how best to use the empty space. The answer may lie with a student group called Innoblue.

“Innoblue starts and supports innovative business, civic, and social ventures at Penn State,” David Adewumi, chief executive and co-founder of Innoblue, said. “We will serve as a catalyst to help local entrepreneurs and leaders implement new programs, services, and ventures, provide the direction necessary for the success of entrepreneurs’ endeavors and provide the essential resources (e.g. legal, marketing, design) to launch great ideas.”

Innoblue, formerly known as Project Blue Pill, aims to help students and other young entrepreneurs bring their business ideas to the downtown area. Adewumi is confident that if Innoblue is able to move into the building, they will be successful.

“Stanford and MIT churn out over 400 start-up companies every year; the reason being a large, extremely motivated pool of student entrepreneurs,” Adewumi said. “We already have a small pool of students and recent alumni working on start-up companies and building products who have committed to using this space.”

Innoblue is one of several options the borough could choose. Originally, the Discovery Children’s Museum was slated to move there, but instead rented another building. The Verizon Building is currently rented out to the Centre County Democratic Party, the Joe Sestak campaign and the Michael Pipe campaign through November.

Innoblue is tentatively scheduled to make a presentation to the Borough Council on September 13. It should become clear soon after what group will end up occupying the building.

Said Adewumi, “We are building a community of world-changers who believe that an idea, executed well, can positively change the world.”

If the Council is looking for a group of optimistic entrepreneurs to fill the space, look no further than Innoblue.